Turkey is a Mediterranean discharge, not a North Europe one: East Coast cargo runs Gibraltar and usually tranships once before Ambarlı, Mersin or Izmir. Air into Istanbul is dense and frequent. The paperwork is Turkish, not EU — GTIP codes, importer registration, and on some U.S. goods additional duties that do not appear on an EU TARIC printout.
Ocean when you have four weeks. Ambarlı for Istanbul and the Marmara industrial belt; Mersin for the South and for transit cargo continuing east; Izmir for the Aegean. Direct-looking products that actually feeder via Piraeus or Malta need that extra week written on the quote.
Air into Istanbul Airport when a plant or a site date will not wait for Ambarlı. Capacity is good; lithium, DG and dual-use still need acceptance before we promise a flight.
LCL to Istanbul exists via Med hubs, so the CFS clock is longer than Hamburg. Under about 8 m³ LCL can still win. Machinery, anything crated for a single consignee, and cargo that will transit Turkey under customs bond should be FCL so the seals and the transit document match.
| Lane | Transit | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| East Coast (Newark) → Ambarlı | 18–26 days | Ocean FCL |
| East Coast (Savannah) → Mersin | 22–30 days | Ocean FCL |
| Gulf (Houston) → Izmir | 26–34 days | Ocean FCL |
| West Coast (LA) → Ambarlı | 32–42 days | Ocean FCL |
| Newark → Ambarlı | 26–34 days | Ocean LCL |
| JFK → Istanbul (IST) | 2–3 days | Air |
Most ocean services tranship in the Mediterranean, so the named hub and Ambarlı/Mersin congestion move this range. Direct-looking schedules still need a feeder day counted.
The main container cluster for Istanbul and Marmara industry. Default U.S. discharge for northern Turkey.
Eastern Mediterranean gateway for southern Turkey and for transit cargo moving onward to the Caucasus and beyond under customs transit.
Aegean industry and agricultural regions. Less congested than Ambarlı for the right inland destinations.
Marmara alternatives for specific industrial pockets; quoted when the consignee is there, not as a surprise discharge.
The cargo airport that replaced Atatürk for most U.S. freighter and belly traffic.
Onward domestic air or truck from Istanbul is usually simpler than forcing a thin international frequency into a secondary airport.
Turkey is outside the EU customs union for practical U.S. freight purposes: you need a Turkish importer, GTIP classification, and often a certificate of origin. ATR documents apply to EU origin, not to U.S. origin cargo pretending to be European.
| From | To | Transit | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark, NJ | Ambarlı | 18–26 days | Ocean FCL |
| Savannah, GA | Mersin | 22–30 days | Ocean FCL |
| Houston, TX | Izmir | 26–34 days | Ocean FCL |
| Los Angeles, CA | Ambarlı | 32–42 days | Ocean FCL |
| JFK, NY | Istanbul IST | 2–3 days | Air |
| ORD, Chicago | Istanbul IST | 2–4 days | Air |
Ambarlı, Mersin and Izmir are not interchangeable. We quote the discharge that matches the delivery, including when cargo is only transiting.
GTIP, additional measures and importer registration are checked before sailing. Copying a German TARIC rate onto a Turkish file is how quotes lie.
If a unit cannot clear, we say so before it reaches the terminal. Machinery, boats and project cargo are the work we actually book on this lane.
About 18–26 days Newark to Ambarlı on ocean FCL, 22–30 to Mersin, longer from Houston or the West Coast. Most services tranship, so count a feeder. Air is 2–4 days into Istanbul.
KDV is generally 20%. Customs duty depends on the GTIP code and may include additional measures on some U.S. goods. We classify and confirm with the destination agent rather than advertising a single percentage.
Ambarlı for Istanbul and Marmara, Mersin for the South and eastbound transit, Izmir for the Aegean. The inland truck usually costs more than the ocean difference between the wrong port and the right one.
In almost all private-import cases, no. Turkish rules effectively block typical used passenger cars. Do not collect the vehicle until we have confirmed it is an admissible class (for example certain machinery or other equipment).
No. Different customs code, different importer registration, no ATR for U.S. origin, and sometimes additional duties. Treat it as its own lane.
Yes, under customs transit to a further destination, with the right document chain. That has to be declared up front — you cannot convert a failed import into transit after the fact without pain.
Send the Turkish city (or the onward country if it is transit), the cargo type and whether it is new machinery or used goods — admissibility changes the quote.